L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019 L'Italo-Americano NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS to move to New York, where she lived the rest of her life, always remaining, nevertheless, an Italian citizen. Last Summer, he was also awarded honorary citizenship of Giovinazzo, the small apulian village where his father was born and that he had visited for the first time in 1986, when he was in Italy to shoot with Sophia Loren The Fortu- nate Pilgrim, based on the novel b y I t a l i a n - A m e r i c a n w r i t e r Mario Puzo. And here we are, back at the beginning of our story. A s t o r y w h e r e a n i m m i - grant's son comes back home to show to his paesani his father, grandfather and grandmother's s u c c e s s . A r e d e m p t i o n f r o m poverty, for people who offered every opportunity to their fami- ly. For people who truly realized their American dream. But there are no clamor nor VIP behavior here. Wearing a w h i t e s h i r t a n d s u n g l a s s e s , friendly and relaxed, Turturro r e a l l y s e e m e d a " m a n n e x t d o o r , " w a l k i n g a r o u n d h i s father's village. The brass band, the photos with all the relatives, the hugs, the meeting with the mayor and the parish priest, who gifted him with the birth certificate of his father, who had left in 1931 to reach New York wrapped in poverty and hope, his hand held by people who could only speak dialect, not even Italian, let alone English. It was an emotional day, with h a n d s h a k e s a n d s m i l e s f o r e v e r y o n e . C e r e m o n i e s w e r e held in the Town Hall, and also by the sea because there wasn't only an important actor in town, but a piece of Giovinazzo's his- tory in the world: the village's m o s t i l l u s t r i o u s c i t i z e n h a d come home and it was like a Sunday spent at home with the family, like a walk on the prom, like a spontaneous and loving meeting. "I am very happy to be here with my extended family." All his 69 relatives sat in the village hall. His surname is common in Giovinazzo, dozens of families have it because, up to a few generations ago, it was normal to have 5 or 6 children. They gave him olive oil, books, an e m b r o i d e r e d r o s e , a p a i n t e d chocolate egg, a cocktail created especially for this occasion, m a d e w i t h o l i v e o i l e x t r a c t , Sicilian lemons and a Brooklyn gin, an icon of the Madonna of Corsignano, venerated in the vil- lage. And to share a moment all together, he gathered all his rela- tives in the local gelateria. Then, emotional and happy, he summed up the meaning of a ceremony whose only formal moment was that of making offi- cial a bond nurtured for years: "I know them all personally, and it's an immense emotion." H e h a d b e e n h e r e m a n y times, always privately, to create and live an authentic, real rela- tionship with the place and its p e o p l e . T h i s t i m e , h i s w i f e Katherine Borowitz and his son A m e d e o w e r e w i t h h i m , a n d they, too, enjoyed the embrace of the Turturro family. "They are fascinated by Italy," he said, just like his other son, Diego, w h o r e m a i n e d a t h o m e . T h e t h r e e o f t h e m w e r e p h o - tographed in front of a large graffiti of the actor, by artist Fabio Franchini. Turturro received his hon- orary citizenship during a true village feast, because this was the atmosphere in Giovinazzo, a small seaside town, only about 15 km from Bari. A little over 20 thousand peo- ple, a small limestone marina, w a l l s r u n n i n g a r o u n d a n Aragonese tower that dominates a blue sea, dotted with fisher- men's boats, the cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, in perfect Romanesque style, built in 1113, with baroque inserts, and a 12th century mosaic floor inside, a h i s t o r i c c e n t e r f i l l e d w i t h medieval towers, aristocratic residences and courtyards, stair- cases, terraces, balustrades and flowery balconies opening all unto Puglia's largest square. Giovinazzo, divided between its rural past and its seafaring tradi- tion, preserves a village-like d i m e n s i o n , w h e r e e v e r y o n e knows each other and where Sunday means also the ritual walk in the square, the beating heart of the community. An enchanting scenery, that may well find itself in a Holly- wood movie: "maybe, maybe, maybe. È una possibilità," Tur- turro said half in English and half in Italian. The idea of film- ing in Giovinazzo is appealing: in the end, the town is rich in history and architecture, and has a perfect Mediterranean skyline, "You need the right story for the right place but — he ensured — I've been thinking about it, and I have an idea." The Big Lebowski's spin off, based on the character of Jesus Quintana, will come first. In an interview to the Independent, Turturro confirmed production, which started in 2016, is almost finished: "Fundamentally, it's an exploration of Jesus after he comes out of prison. It's a really human comedy." In the meanwhile, he left a piece of heart in Puglia where, he said, "I swam and ate a lot. I must have gained at least four pounds!" and where he felt truly t o u c h e d w h i l e r e c e i v i n g t h e town's keys: "within these walls — Giovanazzo's mayor Tom- maso Depalma said — you'll always find your home." "This dream started 5 years ago, but — the mayor continued — he did promise me he would come, the only time we met, in 2014 in Rome. Having him here officially for the first time, it's not only a dream coming true, but a true joy and a reason of pride for the town, because peo- ple like John are our ambas- sadors in the world and they rep- resent those roots that keep us t o g e t h e r i n s p i t e o f t h e d i s - tance." Turturro poses with Giovinazzo's brass band © Depergola Fotografia-Ufficio Stampa Comune di Giovinazzo Continued from page 6

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